A Swedish Room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

A Swedish Room in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania?
PAULW.SH OG R EN
Yes, Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson of Taylor’s Falls, Minnesota
Territory, there is a classroom at the University of Pittsburgh
dedicated to Swedish immigrants. Twenty-six Nationality Rooms
in the Cathedral of Learning are working classrooms dedicated to the
many immigrant groups which came to work in the mills and mines
of southwestern Pennsylvania during the Great Migration. How did
these classrooms come to be? The answer is the subject of this article
written hy the son and nephew of two active participants in the
Swedish Room Committee.
The room was completed in 1938, the same year as the celebra­tions
commemorating the 300th anniversary of “the Coming of the
Swedes to the Delaware Valley in 1638,” but the story begins in
1926 when ground was broken for the 42-story gothic-styled Cathe­dral
of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. “Keep­ing
pace with the energy and idealism that gave form to the soaring
structure was the Nationality Rooms Program, w'hich was under the
dynamic direction of Ruth Crawford Mitchell. This program pro­vided
the spiritual and symbolic foundation of the tower, as nineteen
rooms encircling the Commons Room were designed, commissioned,
and completed between 1938 and 1957. Seven more rooms were
dedicated between 1987 and 2000” (4). The Swedish Room was one
of the first four to be completed, and it was dedicated in 1938 (5).
PAUL W. SHOGREN is a third-generation Swedish American. Bom and raised in
Sivissvale, Pennsylvania, he pursued a career in forestry until his retirement in 1985.
In 1957-58 he spent eighteen months in Sweden on a forestry exchange program, and
it was then that he renewed family contacts. His article on his family history, “From
Björneborg, Värmland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Three Sjögrm Brothers and
the American Dream,” appeared in the October 2003 issue of the Quarterly.
267
The Cathedral of Learning is the centerpiece building of the
University of Pittsburgh. It and the Nationality Rooms were the idea
of Chancellor John G. Bowman and architect Charles Z. Klauder
(1872-1938). This building was to symbolize the idea of the impor­tance
of education, and the Nationality Rooms were to represent the
diverse immigrant cultures of the city and region (2). Begun in 1927
and completed ten years later, the Cathedral stands 535 feet tall and
is finished in Indiana limestone. On the first floor is the great Com­mons
Room, now surrounded by twenty-six Nationality Rooms. Im­migrant
populations including Chinese, Norwegian, Swedish, and
Yugoslav are represented in the rooms.
The history of the Swedish Room
is typical of how all these rooms were
completed. A Swedish Room Com­mittee
was formed in 1927 to raise
money and direct construction of the
room. The committee was sponsored
by the Swedish Central Committee,
an organization of Swedish churches
and lodges in the Pittsburgh area.
“Monthly business meetings of the
Swedish Room Auxiliary were of vi­tal
interest to men and women of
Swedish descent because they were
combined with programs of Swedish
music, literature and adventure” (1).
Many of the committee members and
supporters of the project were Swed­ish
iron workers who had immigrated
“to work in the steel mills of Andrew
Carnegie” strung out along the Monongaltela, Allegheny, and Ohio
Rivers. Other members came from the area’s business and academic
communities. Among the members were Dr. Hugo Kahl, Curator of
Entomology7 at the Carnegie Museum; Dr. A. B. Wallgren, physician;
Mrs. Alex Ahlgren, housewife; Reverend John Nelson; Mrs. Anders
Ericson, housewife; and Algot Johnston, steel mill superintendent.
At Christmastime there was a gala fund-raising evening in the
The Cathedral of Learning at the
University of Pittsburgh. From
unvui.pitt.edu/.. ./goseca/pictures/
cathedral.jpg
268
Commons Room, when a smorgasbord was served along with gallons
of kaffe. As children, we were allowed to drink coffee heavily diluted
with sugar and cream. (I continue to drink my coffee with sugar and
cream, calling it “Viking Coffee.” ) I was bom in 1929, so my memo­ries
of the activities of the Swedish Room Committee are vague.
However, 1 do recall, as part of our family history, a story' about when
“Uncle Chick” composed a special song for the Christmas fund­raiser.
The song was about the work and skill of the Swedish
hammermen (one of whom was my grandfather, Karl Sjogren) who
had emigrated from the iron mill region of Varmland. They found
work operating the huge forges used in the Pittsburgh steel mills. The
song was set to the tune of “There’s An Old Spinning Wheel in the
Parlor.” He sang it in Swedish for the benefit of the Swedish immi­grants,
among whom were many hammermen. As the story goes, at
the end of the song, tears were streaming down the cheeks of these
skilled workers, as they recalled the hard days in the mills. It must
have been quite an evening! Unfortunately, not only have the immi­grant
hammermen passed from the scene,
but the mills themselves are no more.
The necessary money was raised in
spite of the Great Depression of the
1930s. An architect, Linton R.Wilson,
was selected, and he was advised by Carl
Milles, the famous Swedish sculptor.
Some financial support also arrived from
the Swedish government, which en­dorsed
the project.
The room was dedicated on 8 July
1938, and later, on 19 July, a grand re­ception
was held in the Commons
Room. Among the attendees were
Sweden’s Prince Bertil and his royal en­tourage,
who were guests of honor. This Cover 0j ^ ograTn for tj,e Re,
group had come to the United States to ception for Prince Bertil of
commemorate the 300th anniversary of Sweden in the Cathedral of
the founding of the New Sweden Colony Learning, 19 July 1938.
along the banks of the Delaware River. Author’s collection.
‘Reception
h it ‘Royal IHlghnei», ■Princ« “Bertil
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SWEDISH ROOM
CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING
269
An Appreciation
The Committee far the Swedish Room takes
this opportunity to thank Chancellor Bowman
and the Board o f Trustees o f the University o f
Pittsburgh for their whole-hearted cooperation in
our many undertakings for the Swedish Room.
The Committee feels that this cooperation reaches
its zenith tonight in the hospitality which has
been extended to His Royal Highness Prince Bertil
and to the Swedish people.
‘Progr.
Mr. Russell G. Wichmann
Organo*, Onit*ntty of Pitulmtgh
Swedish-American Tercentenary Maie Chorus
Medley o f Swedish Songs Mr. Russell G. Wichmann
Entrance of His Royal Highness Prince Bertil and gi
after viewing the Swedish Room.
Here and below right: Inside pages from
the program for the Reception for Prince
Bertil o f Sweden, 19 July 1938.
Author's collection.
Now picture this glorious scene:
The reception was held in the
large Commons Room inside the
Cathedral of Learning. The uni­versity
organist played the huge
organ, and songs were sung by
the Swedish-American Tercente­nary
Male Chorus. The royal
party entered from the opposite
side while an audience of about
1,000 Swedes and Swedish-
Americans sang “Du gamla, du
fria” and “The Star Spangled Ban­ner.”
Speeches came from repre­sentatives
of both the visitors and
the visited, and when the royal
party withdrew, the audience and
chorus sang “Kungsangen,” “Ur
"Du gamla, du ffla"
"Star Spangled Banner’’ .
. . Audience
Audience
“Vart land” .......................................................................... Josephson
“Hor oss, Svea" ..............................................Wbnnerbero
'Till mitt hem”
edish-Amerkan Tercentenary Maie Chorus
His Royal Hiohness, Prince Bertil oe Sweden
...............................................................Steniiammer
svenska hjârtens djup en gang/”
Think about it! It was one grand
evening for Swedes, Swedish
Americans, Americans, and the
University of Pittsburgh.
T hat was probably the last
grand event of the Pittsburgh
Swedish-American Community.
Why? The world was slowly mov­ing
towards another world war.
After September 1939, enonnous
quantities of aid were sent to En­gland.
Both before and after De­cember
1941, the steel mills were
working 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week as the area became part of the “Arsenal of Democracy” for
almost six years. During the post-war years the mills continued pro­duction
for a while longer. Increasingly, the Swedish-American com­munity
became part of the American Melting Pot, as the older gen-
. Mr. Holgar J. Johnso
. His Royal Hiohness Prince Berth
Lindblad
Withdrawal of His Royal Highness Prince Bertil and Party
Po stlud c ..................... Ms. Russell G. Wichmann
270
The Swedish Room, Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh. From E.
Maxine Bruhns, The Nationality Rooms (University of Pittsburgh, 2000), p.
55; used with permission.
eration passed away and people moved to the suburbs and found
many different jobs other than mining and making steel.
What does the room look like? As one Pitt student put it, “You
cannot feel dull in this room. It is bright and happy magic, like
moments in your life which suggest that something good is about to
happen to you” (1). One enters through a mst-colored door with a
carved floral pattern of blue and yellow plus black flowers (rosmalning)
painted upon it. Inside, two walls are pure white with twenty coats of
whitewash covering 200-year-old bricks. The floor is of red brick set
in a herringbone pattern. In one comer is a hooded fireplace pat­terned
after the Bollnas Cottage at the Skansen open-air folk mu­seum
in Stockholm. “The fire tools were hand wrought, after a days
work, by Ola Nilsson, a blacksmith in the McKees Rocks shop of the
P&LE Railroad. From memory he reconstmcted the tools used in his
home town” (1).
271
Overall, the room is patterned after an eighteenth-century peasant’s
cottage. The wall and ceiling frescoes are copies of works executed
by Gustav Reuter (1699-1783) at Delsbo in Halsingland, and they
reflect the folk painting style of that period. Three panels on the
back wall contain depictions of jovial horsed cavaliers, Caspar, Carolus,
and Fintiia—the Three Wise Men. In a fourth is a depiction of St.
Catherine.1 Characteristic floral designs along with figures depicting
Justice, Judgment, and Knowledge appear on the ceiling, where the
central figure is the Archangel Gabriel (4).
The words of Chancellor Bowman ring loud and clear regarding
all the Nationality Rooms: “Each room, itself an articulate expression
of nobility by a people, speaks to faculty and students. ‘There is joy
in books, in art, in ideas, in friends and in common things. Education
is learning to live in a world illuminated with kindness, wonder and
gladness. The joy in these is yours to understand, to perfect within
yourself, to live by and pass on’” (l,x ).
Yes, indeed! Det var bra gjort!
To conclude, the present Director of Nationality Rooms and
Intercultural Exchange Programs, E. Maxine Bruhns, has written: “As
with all Nationality Room
Committees, the Swedish
Room C om m itte e re ­mained
affiliated with the
University after the Room’s
dedication in 1938. The
purpose of their fundraising
is to offer summer scholar­ships
for study in Sweden.
Since 1948, 933 Nation­ality
Room scholarships
have been awarded for
study all over the world.
The Nationality Rooms
now number 26, with nine Ce|/mg de[all fwm the Swedish Room _ Cathe„
more on the drawing dral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh. From
boards: Danish, Swiss, Latin £ Maxine Bruhns, The Nationality Rooms,
American, Turkish, Philip- p. 54; used with permission.
272
pine, Welsh, Thai, Korean, and Finnish. The Rooms house classes
during the Fall and Winter Terms and are a popular tourist attraction
with 20,000 paying guests annually. The University maintains the
rooms in excellent condition. So the Swedish Room is as beautiful
today as the day it was dedicated July 8, 1938” (4).
University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms
1938-57 Original Rooms
Nationality Year Dedicated
Chinese 1939
Czechoslovakian 1939
English 1952
French 1943
German 1938*
Greek 1941
Hungarian 1939
Irish 1957
Italian 1949
Lithuanian 1940
Norwegian 1948
Polish 1940
Romanian 1943
Russian 1938*
Scottish 1938*
Swedish 1938*
Syria-Lebanese 1941
Yugoslavian 1939
Early American 1938
African Heritage 1989
Armenian 1988
Austrian. 1996
Indian (India) 2000
Israel Heritage 1987
Japanese 1999
Ukraniati 1990
* The first four nationality rooms completed by committees (4).
273
Rooms in the planning stages include Danish, Swiss, Latin Ameri­can,
Turkish, Philippine, Welsh, Thai, Korean, and Finnish.
En d n o t e s
Note on documentation. Numbers in parentheses in the above text indicate
the source of information and quotations. See bibliography for list. Dr. Bruhn's
closing quotation was amended via e-mail.
1. St. Catherine (1331-81) was the daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden
(1303-73), founder of “Briggittine” order, which was dedicated to a life of pov­erty
and study. St. Catherine became head of the order after her mothers death.
See The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, edited by F. L. Cross (London:
Oxford University Press, 1966), 259.
Bib l io g r a ph y
1. The Swedish Classroom. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press,
1940. No author identified. 12 pages.
2. Miller, Donald. The Nationality Classrooms. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of
Pittsburgh Press, 1955.
3. Boyer, William, Rooms with a View. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Herblick and Held
Printing Co., 1961.
4- Bruhns, E. Maxine. The Nationality Rooms. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of
Pittsburgh Press, 2000.
5. Reception for His Royal Highness, Prince Bertil. Reception program. Pitts­burgh,
Pa.: Woodland Press, 1938.
NOTE: For a virtual tour see http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/index.html.
The editor wishes to thank E. Maxine Bruhns for her help with this article.

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All rights held by the Swedish-American Historical Society. No part of this publication, except in the case of brief quotations, may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the editor and, where appropriate, the original author(s). For more information, please email the Society at info@swedishamericanhist.org

A Swedish Room in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania?
PAULW.SH OG R EN
Yes, Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson of Taylor’s Falls, Minnesota
Territory, there is a classroom at the University of Pittsburgh
dedicated to Swedish immigrants. Twenty-six Nationality Rooms
in the Cathedral of Learning are working classrooms dedicated to the
many immigrant groups which came to work in the mills and mines
of southwestern Pennsylvania during the Great Migration. How did
these classrooms come to be? The answer is the subject of this article
written hy the son and nephew of two active participants in the
Swedish Room Committee.
The room was completed in 1938, the same year as the celebra­tions
commemorating the 300th anniversary of “the Coming of the
Swedes to the Delaware Valley in 1638,” but the story begins in
1926 when ground was broken for the 42-story gothic-styled Cathe­dral
of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. “Keep­ing
pace with the energy and idealism that gave form to the soaring
structure was the Nationality Rooms Program, w'hich was under the
dynamic direction of Ruth Crawford Mitchell. This program pro­vided
the spiritual and symbolic foundation of the tower, as nineteen
rooms encircling the Commons Room were designed, commissioned,
and completed between 1938 and 1957. Seven more rooms were
dedicated between 1987 and 2000” (4). The Swedish Room was one
of the first four to be completed, and it was dedicated in 1938 (5).
PAUL W. SHOGREN is a third-generation Swedish American. Bom and raised in
Sivissvale, Pennsylvania, he pursued a career in forestry until his retirement in 1985.
In 1957-58 he spent eighteen months in Sweden on a forestry exchange program, and
it was then that he renewed family contacts. His article on his family history, “From
Björneborg, Värmland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Three Sjögrm Brothers and
the American Dream,” appeared in the October 2003 issue of the Quarterly.
267
The Cathedral of Learning is the centerpiece building of the
University of Pittsburgh. It and the Nationality Rooms were the idea
of Chancellor John G. Bowman and architect Charles Z. Klauder
(1872-1938). This building was to symbolize the idea of the impor­tance
of education, and the Nationality Rooms were to represent the
diverse immigrant cultures of the city and region (2). Begun in 1927
and completed ten years later, the Cathedral stands 535 feet tall and
is finished in Indiana limestone. On the first floor is the great Com­mons
Room, now surrounded by twenty-six Nationality Rooms. Im­migrant
populations including Chinese, Norwegian, Swedish, and
Yugoslav are represented in the rooms.
The history of the Swedish Room
is typical of how all these rooms were
completed. A Swedish Room Com­mittee
was formed in 1927 to raise
money and direct construction of the
room. The committee was sponsored
by the Swedish Central Committee,
an organization of Swedish churches
and lodges in the Pittsburgh area.
“Monthly business meetings of the
Swedish Room Auxiliary were of vi­tal
interest to men and women of
Swedish descent because they were
combined with programs of Swedish
music, literature and adventure” (1).
Many of the committee members and
supporters of the project were Swed­ish
iron workers who had immigrated
“to work in the steel mills of Andrew
Carnegie” strung out along the Monongaltela, Allegheny, and Ohio
Rivers. Other members came from the area’s business and academic
communities. Among the members were Dr. Hugo Kahl, Curator of
Entomology7 at the Carnegie Museum; Dr. A. B. Wallgren, physician;
Mrs. Alex Ahlgren, housewife; Reverend John Nelson; Mrs. Anders
Ericson, housewife; and Algot Johnston, steel mill superintendent.
At Christmastime there was a gala fund-raising evening in the
The Cathedral of Learning at the
University of Pittsburgh. From
unvui.pitt.edu/.. ./goseca/pictures/
cathedral.jpg
268
Commons Room, when a smorgasbord was served along with gallons
of kaffe. As children, we were allowed to drink coffee heavily diluted
with sugar and cream. (I continue to drink my coffee with sugar and
cream, calling it “Viking Coffee.” ) I was bom in 1929, so my memo­ries
of the activities of the Swedish Room Committee are vague.
However, 1 do recall, as part of our family history, a story' about when
“Uncle Chick” composed a special song for the Christmas fund­raiser.
The song was about the work and skill of the Swedish
hammermen (one of whom was my grandfather, Karl Sjogren) who
had emigrated from the iron mill region of Varmland. They found
work operating the huge forges used in the Pittsburgh steel mills. The
song was set to the tune of “There’s An Old Spinning Wheel in the
Parlor.” He sang it in Swedish for the benefit of the Swedish immi­grants,
among whom were many hammermen. As the story goes, at
the end of the song, tears were streaming down the cheeks of these
skilled workers, as they recalled the hard days in the mills. It must
have been quite an evening! Unfortunately, not only have the immi­grant
hammermen passed from the scene,
but the mills themselves are no more.
The necessary money was raised in
spite of the Great Depression of the
1930s. An architect, Linton R.Wilson,
was selected, and he was advised by Carl
Milles, the famous Swedish sculptor.
Some financial support also arrived from
the Swedish government, which en­dorsed
the project.
The room was dedicated on 8 July
1938, and later, on 19 July, a grand re­ception
was held in the Commons
Room. Among the attendees were
Sweden’s Prince Bertil and his royal en­tourage,
who were guests of honor. This Cover 0j ^ ograTn for tj,e Re,
group had come to the United States to ception for Prince Bertil of
commemorate the 300th anniversary of Sweden in the Cathedral of
the founding of the New Sweden Colony Learning, 19 July 1938.
along the banks of the Delaware River. Author’s collection.
‘Reception
h it ‘Royal IHlghnei», ■Princ« “Bertil
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SWEDISH ROOM
CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING
269
An Appreciation
The Committee far the Swedish Room takes
this opportunity to thank Chancellor Bowman
and the Board o f Trustees o f the University o f
Pittsburgh for their whole-hearted cooperation in
our many undertakings for the Swedish Room.
The Committee feels that this cooperation reaches
its zenith tonight in the hospitality which has
been extended to His Royal Highness Prince Bertil
and to the Swedish people.
‘Progr.
Mr. Russell G. Wichmann
Organo*, Onit*ntty of Pitulmtgh
Swedish-American Tercentenary Maie Chorus
Medley o f Swedish Songs Mr. Russell G. Wichmann
Entrance of His Royal Highness Prince Bertil and gi
after viewing the Swedish Room.
Here and below right: Inside pages from
the program for the Reception for Prince
Bertil o f Sweden, 19 July 1938.
Author's collection.
Now picture this glorious scene:
The reception was held in the
large Commons Room inside the
Cathedral of Learning. The uni­versity
organist played the huge
organ, and songs were sung by
the Swedish-American Tercente­nary
Male Chorus. The royal
party entered from the opposite
side while an audience of about
1,000 Swedes and Swedish-
Americans sang “Du gamla, du
fria” and “The Star Spangled Ban­ner.”
Speeches came from repre­sentatives
of both the visitors and
the visited, and when the royal
party withdrew, the audience and
chorus sang “Kungsangen,” “Ur
"Du gamla, du ffla"
"Star Spangled Banner’’ .
. . Audience
Audience
“Vart land” .......................................................................... Josephson
“Hor oss, Svea" ..............................................Wbnnerbero
'Till mitt hem”
edish-Amerkan Tercentenary Maie Chorus
His Royal Hiohness, Prince Bertil oe Sweden
...............................................................Steniiammer
svenska hjârtens djup en gang/”
Think about it! It was one grand
evening for Swedes, Swedish
Americans, Americans, and the
University of Pittsburgh.
T hat was probably the last
grand event of the Pittsburgh
Swedish-American Community.
Why? The world was slowly mov­ing
towards another world war.
After September 1939, enonnous
quantities of aid were sent to En­gland.
Both before and after De­cember
1941, the steel mills were
working 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week as the area became part of the “Arsenal of Democracy” for
almost six years. During the post-war years the mills continued pro­duction
for a while longer. Increasingly, the Swedish-American com­munity
became part of the American Melting Pot, as the older gen-
. Mr. Holgar J. Johnso
. His Royal Hiohness Prince Berth
Lindblad
Withdrawal of His Royal Highness Prince Bertil and Party
Po stlud c ..................... Ms. Russell G. Wichmann
270
The Swedish Room, Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh. From E.
Maxine Bruhns, The Nationality Rooms (University of Pittsburgh, 2000), p.
55; used with permission.
eration passed away and people moved to the suburbs and found
many different jobs other than mining and making steel.
What does the room look like? As one Pitt student put it, “You
cannot feel dull in this room. It is bright and happy magic, like
moments in your life which suggest that something good is about to
happen to you” (1). One enters through a mst-colored door with a
carved floral pattern of blue and yellow plus black flowers (rosmalning)
painted upon it. Inside, two walls are pure white with twenty coats of
whitewash covering 200-year-old bricks. The floor is of red brick set
in a herringbone pattern. In one comer is a hooded fireplace pat­terned
after the Bollnas Cottage at the Skansen open-air folk mu­seum
in Stockholm. “The fire tools were hand wrought, after a days
work, by Ola Nilsson, a blacksmith in the McKees Rocks shop of the
P&LE Railroad. From memory he reconstmcted the tools used in his
home town” (1).
271
Overall, the room is patterned after an eighteenth-century peasant’s
cottage. The wall and ceiling frescoes are copies of works executed
by Gustav Reuter (1699-1783) at Delsbo in Halsingland, and they
reflect the folk painting style of that period. Three panels on the
back wall contain depictions of jovial horsed cavaliers, Caspar, Carolus,
and Fintiia—the Three Wise Men. In a fourth is a depiction of St.
Catherine.1 Characteristic floral designs along with figures depicting
Justice, Judgment, and Knowledge appear on the ceiling, where the
central figure is the Archangel Gabriel (4).
The words of Chancellor Bowman ring loud and clear regarding
all the Nationality Rooms: “Each room, itself an articulate expression
of nobility by a people, speaks to faculty and students. ‘There is joy
in books, in art, in ideas, in friends and in common things. Education
is learning to live in a world illuminated with kindness, wonder and
gladness. The joy in these is yours to understand, to perfect within
yourself, to live by and pass on’” (l,x ).
Yes, indeed! Det var bra gjort!
To conclude, the present Director of Nationality Rooms and
Intercultural Exchange Programs, E. Maxine Bruhns, has written: “As
with all Nationality Room
Committees, the Swedish
Room C om m itte e re ­mained
affiliated with the
University after the Room’s
dedication in 1938. The
purpose of their fundraising
is to offer summer scholar­ships
for study in Sweden.
Since 1948, 933 Nation­ality
Room scholarships
have been awarded for
study all over the world.
The Nationality Rooms
now number 26, with nine Ce|/mg de[all fwm the Swedish Room _ Cathe„
more on the drawing dral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh. From
boards: Danish, Swiss, Latin £ Maxine Bruhns, The Nationality Rooms,
American, Turkish, Philip- p. 54; used with permission.
272
pine, Welsh, Thai, Korean, and Finnish. The Rooms house classes
during the Fall and Winter Terms and are a popular tourist attraction
with 20,000 paying guests annually. The University maintains the
rooms in excellent condition. So the Swedish Room is as beautiful
today as the day it was dedicated July 8, 1938” (4).
University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms
1938-57 Original Rooms
Nationality Year Dedicated
Chinese 1939
Czechoslovakian 1939
English 1952
French 1943
German 1938*
Greek 1941
Hungarian 1939
Irish 1957
Italian 1949
Lithuanian 1940
Norwegian 1948
Polish 1940
Romanian 1943
Russian 1938*
Scottish 1938*
Swedish 1938*
Syria-Lebanese 1941
Yugoslavian 1939
Early American 1938
African Heritage 1989
Armenian 1988
Austrian. 1996
Indian (India) 2000
Israel Heritage 1987
Japanese 1999
Ukraniati 1990
* The first four nationality rooms completed by committees (4).
273
Rooms in the planning stages include Danish, Swiss, Latin Ameri­can,
Turkish, Philippine, Welsh, Thai, Korean, and Finnish.
En d n o t e s
Note on documentation. Numbers in parentheses in the above text indicate
the source of information and quotations. See bibliography for list. Dr. Bruhn's
closing quotation was amended via e-mail.
1. St. Catherine (1331-81) was the daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden
(1303-73), founder of “Briggittine” order, which was dedicated to a life of pov­erty
and study. St. Catherine became head of the order after her mothers death.
See The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, edited by F. L. Cross (London:
Oxford University Press, 1966), 259.
Bib l io g r a ph y
1. The Swedish Classroom. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press,
1940. No author identified. 12 pages.
2. Miller, Donald. The Nationality Classrooms. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of
Pittsburgh Press, 1955.
3. Boyer, William, Rooms with a View. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Herblick and Held
Printing Co., 1961.
4- Bruhns, E. Maxine. The Nationality Rooms. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of
Pittsburgh Press, 2000.
5. Reception for His Royal Highness, Prince Bertil. Reception program. Pitts­burgh,
Pa.: Woodland Press, 1938.
NOTE: For a virtual tour see http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/index.html.
The editor wishes to thank E. Maxine Bruhns for her help with this article.